


families, both new and old

by sufferingsoprano



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Angst, Can be romantic or platonic dukexiety, Dark Sides As Family (Sanders Sides), Family, M/M, Post-Episode: ACCEPTING ANXIETY Part 2/2: Can Anxiety Be Good?, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Dark Sides (Sanders Sides), Sympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, can be romantic or platonic anxiet, can be romantic or platonic dukeceit, they love each other tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25353037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sufferingsoprano/pseuds/sufferingsoprano
Summary: After almost ducking out, Remus and Janus confront Virgil. Their encounter resurfaces many conflicted feelings within Virgil, as despite how joyous he was at building a new family with the light sides, he will never be able to shake off his connection to the dark side.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Comments: 4
Kudos: 142





	families, both new and old

**Author's Note:**

> yay! More sanders sides!  
> I just love the dark sides acting as a family to one another!  
> You can interpret dukexiety, Dukeceit, & anxceit as romantic or platonic- up to you!
> 
> also reminder- italicized text signals Janus telling a lie, and also WARNING: I use a few (minimal) curses, and Remus is in general icky as ever.

Virgil held the card Patton had given to him, unable to prevent a smile from overcoming his lips.

“ Fam-ILY “— They finally considered him to be one of them. 

Their acceptance brought the anxious side much ease, and perhaps even some joy.

At the end of the day he loved the odd bunch a lot more thanhe’d ever voice.

From Patton’s nurturing demeanor, to Logan’s aloof yet collected nature— hell, he even loved Roman, in all of his overly extravagant glory.

Virgil shut his eyes, still smiling widely- simply taking in the reality that he had himself a new family.

Even Thomas had come to value him, much to Virgil’s confusion. Though he may never understand how the person who he’d essentially terrorized for all of his existence had come to care for him, he was eternally grateful.

To have the friendship of Thomas— his core, was an unfamiliar feeling, making it all the more wonderful.

As Virgil reopened his eyes, with an uncharacteristic warmth in his chest, he was met with a startling sight.

Stood in front of him were none other then the two sides who he’d left behind— the two people who’d once been the only family he’d ever known.

His smile vanished, a mix of anger and guilt mixing in his gut.

On one hand, he was glad to be rid of them— they were monsters, lurking in the shadows. 

However, deep down, Virgil knew with clarity that they were no darker nor lighter than himself, and in retrospect, he supposed they really were no different than the self proclaimed light sides anyways. 

His thoughts were quickly interrupted as he was ambushed in a suffocating embrace.

“Holy Smhokes Emo! You had us scared to death— literally, I thought I was gonna start vomiting horse shit! I know I’m always going on about how epic death is— I mean blood fest, duh, what a time!— but never, ever scare us like that again— or- or- I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS— and my Morning Star!”

Remus babbled on and on, still squeezing the life out of Virgil.

“C’mon Rem— you’re going to snuff the living daylights out of our dear Virgil.”

Janus watched the scene play out before him, a fond look in his eyes.

Remus grinned sheepishly, loosening his grip on the other side.

“Sorry Virge— I- just— we felt you duck out and we couldn’t get through to the light side— and we were trying to summon you, b-but it didn’t work— I thought for sure Janus was gonna explode into a ball of snake intestines— we were freaked!”

Remus sputtered, tripping over his words.

Virgil smiled weakly.

“Well, I’m alright now.”

Remus cupped Virgil’s cheeks, placing a sloppy kiss to the anxious side’s forehead.

“What in the name of homicidal octopuses would I do without my favorite emo!?”

Virgil was unable to prevent a muffled laugh from escaping his lips.

Though he wanted so badly to turn Remus away, to reject the “dark sides”, and to just leave all of itbehind him— he couldn’t bring himself to push the gurgling man aside.

“I’m not incredibly relieved to know that you are safe.”

Janus’s voice chimed in, his expression a mixture of many emotions.

Janus loomed closer.Part of Virgil wanted to reach out— to allow himself to be swept into the snake faced side’s arms.

Remus looked between the two, painfully aware of the obvious tension.

With a beaming grin, Remus Intertwined his fingers with Virgil’s, and hooked his loose arm with Janus’s.

“Janus is probably gonna fix up some dinner— I wanted toe nail clipping salad, but our favorite little liar said that was disgusting, uncultured, isn’t he!? But hey, it’s your pick!”

Remus stared expectantly at Virgil, whilst Janus simply offered a weak, yet imploring nod toward the mindscape’s resident worry wot.

“I— no thank you.”

Remus looked back dumbfounded.

“No? But Virge— Virgey, mah favorite edgelord, ceo of obliterating my skull into a billion little bloody pieces in mario kart— c’mon, it’s been forever!”

Biting his lip, Virgil took a step back, pulling his hand out of Remus’s grasp.

“No.”

The silence that filled the room was deafening.

Remus stood still, his face contorted in a mess of anger, bewilderment, and disappointment.

The fact that he, the filterless, unabashedly loud, talkative side, was at a loss of words, was rather telling of the room’s atmosphere.

“But-“

He began to speak, his voice sounding oddly desperate.

Janus cut him off, bringing his hand to Remus’s shoulder.

“You heard him. I suppose we should just leave him be.”

“But-“

“We are **_totally_** wanted here.”

To that, Remus nodded sullenly, the usual pep in his step seemingly nonexistent.

He mustered a sad smile as he bid Virgil goodbye.

“Nice seein ya, Virge.”

And with that, he sunk out, head hung low.

A dejected Remus was a rather rare sight to behold, leaving the pang of guilt in Virgil’s chest throbbing harder than ever.

Upon Remus’s departure, Janus and Virgil stood in an even more uncomfortable silence.

“I hope you’re happy.”

There was bitterness and resentment in janus’s words— along with a hint of truth.

Virgil didn’t quite know how to reply as a lump formed in his throat.

Deep down, he really didn’t want Janus to leave. Despite the sneers and his blatant dismissal of Janus and Remus, Virgil couldn’t help but miss what they once had.

And here Janus was, standing before him, still welcoming of his return. Virgil suspected that Janus was aware of his conflicted feelings, but chose to simply brush the matter aside.

If Virgil would only voice these thoughts, then perhaps some of the pain would go away. 

Though in the end, he spoke not a single word as he was barely able to meet Janus’s gaze.

Janus scoffed as he turned to leave, a certain element of disappointment in his pursed lips.

All Virgil could do was watch— choosing neither fight nor flight as he found himself unable to move.

However, Just as Janus was about to sink out, he stopped dead in his tracks. The same inability to move that Virgil was experiencing, seemed to also overcome the deceptive side.

Virgil’s eyes widened, fear and hope churning through his veins.

“I hope- I **_do not_** hope, that you know that though you have left us, you are always— you are **_Not_** always welcome to come home.”

Janus looked to Virgil with a certain softness in his eyes, as he spoke slowly.

Beneath the lies, Virgil was able to grasp the main idea behind Janus’s comment.

Despite Virgil abandoning them and despite Virgil’s newly declared rejection of the darkness, Janus and Remus were still extending their friendship to him.

They still opened their door to him, even after all that had gone down.

Virgil’s blank expression morphed into an equally soft look, a sad smile coming to his lips.

“Thank you.”

Though he had made up his mind about his choice to reside amongst the light sides, the fact that he still had a home of sorts with Janus and Remus was comforting in a way that Virgil would never quite be able to understand.

With a final nod, Janus sunk out.

Virgil couldn’t help but notice how Janus’s eyes were glazed over, glistening with what had to be incoming tears.

He stood alone in his room, memories of what once was swirling though his mind.

He remembered the snarky comments, Remus’s loud antics, gentle embraces, and barrels and barrels of unwavering support that overwhelmed Virgil to no avail.

Would he miss it?

For sure, there was no question.

But with a sigh, Virgil placed the card still in his grip onto the night stand behind his bed.

Though he missed his old family, he sure as hell was thankful for the new one he had to love.

And thus, with a bittersweet smile, Virgil sunk out.

He could practically hear Roman’s hearty laugh, and feel Logan’s fond annoyance at one of Patton’s usual puns as he thought of his new home.


End file.
